


Grief

by theoretically_moss



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Blood, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Post Timeskip, Silver Snow spoilers, Three Houses: Silver Snow route, major spoilers for silver snow final battle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21837994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theoretically_moss/pseuds/theoretically_moss
Summary: So many died, thanks to Byeth's choices. She chose to fight her own student, Edelgard, and supposedly found peace for all the land. Yet that temporary peace shattered, forcing Byleth to lose everything she fought for, including having to kill the one she worked so hard to save.
Kudos: 16





	Grief

**Author's Note:**

> When I finally finished Silver Snow, I couldn't get Funeral of Flowers out of my head, so I had to write out the thoughts and feelings it caused me. I just love how the thunder version is piano only, showing the silence and sadness of up-close battle, while the rain version is very loud and somber, getting across the nature of the overall battle.

It’s deathly silent on the battlefield.

The screams of both the living and dead fill the air. Metal clashes against metal, a loud ringing with each hit. The heavy beating of wings distorts the air, creating heavy winds across the grounds. Roars of beasts rise to the heavens.

And yet the silence of stillness is deafening, drowning out the chaos of battle.

Byleth remained motionless, staring up at the beast before her. Rhea. The Immaculate One she had seen twice before. Yet now instead of standing as allies, they stood as enemies. The crazed dragon emanated a red glow, body wrapped in white thorns, letting out another roar.

They’d all come so far and lost so much to defeat the Empire and bring about peace. People gave up their comfort and homes to fight for peace. Lives were lost to end Edelgard’s war. And yet that peace shattered with Rhea’s mind. The world Byleth had been building crumbled alongside the monastery. And now Byleth had to sever the final piece. She had to kill the one she’d worked so hard to save.

A wide range of emotions stirred within Byleth as she looked up to the beast. She felt anger over learning of the monster hidden beneath Rhea’s mask. But not due to her draconic form. No, it was due to learning of the truth of Byleth’s origins. The truth of who she really was. What Rhea did was sickening and monstrous, and yet, Byleth still couldn’t be completely angry. She felt sorrow over seeing the archbishop in this sad state. Over hearing those pained roars. And guilt. Guilt from believing she could prevent all of this. If only Byleth had been better. Stronger. If she had stopped the chain of events that led to Rhea falling apart like this.

But most of all, Byleth felt grief. Yet she grieved for many. She grieved for the loss of the archbishop. For the deaths of those under her command, dying for a cause they would never see come to light. For the losses of Claude and Dimitri. And even for Edelgard, her best student. She was hurt by the girl’s betrayal, and yet it hurt just as much, if not more, to kill the woman.

Her grief whirled, fogging Byleth’s mind of all else and forcing her to remain still. She didn’t want another to grieve over. Another to die at her blade. Too much blood stained the ground. But if she did not kill, then even more would die. More of those under her command. More innocent lives, lost to the hurricane of destruction.

Grief was what also kept her standing. What kept Byleth’s blade firmly in her hands, standing up to the crazed dragon. She had to do this. She had to kill Rhea. For the sake of the dead and the living. For those who gave up their lives for peace and to protect those who still stand, wishing to enjoy it.

It was this same grief that made her move forward. Each step was slow. And with each step, Byleth’s feet found a body. She dared not look down unless she wished to see the lifeless faces of Seteth or her students. She felt as though they wanted to hold her back, to prevent her own death at the monster’s hands. And yet she also felt as though the dead pushed her forward, wishing for and end to their suffering. An end to everyone’s suffering.

Byleth tried to ignore the push and pull of their souls, her pace quickening as she moved forward. The beast before her was already weakened, having taken severe damage from the knights who hadn’t lost their minds. Just one hit. One well-placed hit was all Byleth needed to end the dragon’s suffering.

The green-haired woman broke into a sprint, lunging forward and jumping at the beast, burying her sword between the plates of white scales. A loud roar let Byleth know she hit her target as copious amounts of blood began to pour out.

Suddenly, the dragon stood upon its hindlegs, shaking to force the woman and her sword off. Byleth was sent flying, smashing into a pillar and falling to the ground. Her vision blurred from the shock, unable to understand her surroundings for a few moments. The air suddenly picked up with heavy winds, the flapping of the dragon’s large wings echoed in Byleth’s ears. Rhea was taking flight.

Byleth forced herself onto her feet, watching the sky to see Rhea flying to the cathedral. The former professor followed as quickly as her injured body would allow her, the adrenaline still in her system allowing her to somewhat shrug off her pain in order to focus upon her goal.

As she entered the destroyed cathedral, Byleth watched the dragon crash through the ceiling, falling from the sky. Scales turned to flower petals, flying upwards before drifting down as the beast fell. Within the petals, Rhea’s human form began to slowly appear, her body falling just as slowly as the petals, almost as though she, too, was drifting down.

Byleth dropped her sword at the sight, forgetting it as she limped forward, holding her arms out. She watched Rhea slowly fall, before landing in the former professor’s arms. There was a gaping hole in the archbishop’s chest. A slash right for her heart. Right where Byleth’s blow landed. Rhea’s blood flowed, staining Byleth’s arms and torso as she held the dying body close.

The archbishop took in shallow breaths, her eyes opening slightly to show glassed over green. A whisper escaped the woman’s lips along with her final breath, the words so quite, Byleth almost couldn’t hear. “You’re here, Mother…” 

The woman’s lids fell, a smile upon her lips as her body went limp. Byleth could feel the woman’s blood fall to the ground. It pooled with the blood of the knights. With the blood of those who fought on both sides of the war. And with the blood of all her students.

Once again, all was still. It truly was deafening.

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe I wrote a Three Houses fic that doesn't have any form of Edeleth. How strange. And strangest of all is that it's a Silver Snow fic. I quite enjoyed writing this, though. It's a quick break between everything I've written for Hands Stained Crimson.


End file.
